Sue Wicks had one of her most productive games of the year Wednesday night.

Wicks scored only six points in 16 minutes and didn’t start for the first time, but she was able to watch the player she goes up against in practice – Tari Phillips – score 22 points and dominate the Phoenix Mercury.

“I definitely want to play,” the 33-year-old Wicks said before the Liberty faced the Indiana Fever last night at the Garden. “But at this point in my career, I’m just happy to be here, contributing any way I can.”

This season, that has been by helping mold the talented Phillips into an emerging star.

“When she got here, she was already pretty talented,” said Wicks, who is averaging 4.7 ppg and 5.5 boards this season. “She came in and just hit the ground running. So she didn’t need much help, but I’d like to think that I work her pretty hard when we go up against each other.”

Wicks’ work is paying off, according to her protege.

“She doesn’t tell me a whole lot, but I watch what she does,” said Phillips, who has been one of very few bright spots for the Liberty, who brought a 6-7 record into last night’s game. “You can’t help but pick some things up just from watching her. She knows so much and has been around for so long [that] it really helps.”

Wicks is in her fourth year with the Liberty and has never averaged more than 6.8 ppg. The veteran spent her best years overseas, in places like France, Israel, Italy and Japan. Of course, at the time there wasn’t an option for Wicks.

“I would have loved to have had more success in this league, but that was never my role,” Wicks said. “If I think about it to much, you drive yourself crazy. So I just do what I do and play the best that I can.”

Regardless of what she does on the court, Wicks is succeeding as a teacher. The 1988 graduate of Rutgers is easily one of the most popular players on the team, if not the league.

Last Sunday, the team honored Kym Hampton, who spent three years in the WNBA. She had a similar job in her three-year career and Wicks took her lead from Hampton.

“She was always like a basketball ambassador,” Wicks said. “When you see the reaction that she got, it’s rewarding. That’s kind of the way I want to be remembered.”